Aegis Veritas
by iamextraordinary
Summary: A new girl arrives during sophomore year and her arrival sets of a chain of events within the Covenant. Crossover with Gilmore Girls.
1. Chapter 1

**AN** This story was conceptualized, written and edited by my sister and I. We both love the Covenant boys as well as the characters from Gilmore and we decided what the hell we're both writers Why not merge the two worlds together? So with her flair for the fluffy and my preference for darker romances… we have created a series that will hopefully gain a following in this genre.

Please be patient with regard to updates as we are working from two different cities.

We have a teaser video on YouTube for all of you who wish for a more visual presentation of our premise. Just search for: Aegis Veritas.

**CHAPTER ONE**

Rory sighed as she parked her blue coupe, a present from her grandparents, in front of an imposing stone building. She had seen it countless times while perusing the Student Manual that was sent to her a week ago. This was it.

She buttoned up her gloves and drew her coat tighter around her petite form. There was a slight rain falling and she didn't feel like getting sick during her first week. Finishing her routine, she stepped out into the cold and entered Spenser Academy's main building.

Rory walked around the building's grounds looking for someone who could give her directions to the Provost's office and she spotted a boy who looked around her age sitting on a stone bench and reading.

She slowly started to approach him while mentally going over her rehearsed 'I come in peace' conversation starter.

"Hi," she said.

The boy looked up at her and smiled. Rory's voice seemed to get caught in her throat as their gazes met. She didn't know she was going to be attending a school for the physically perfect.

"Hi." He said still smiling up at her and closing the book in his hand. He was reading Pride and Prejudice. Rory's heart skipped a beat.

"I'm looking for Provost Hagen's office." She said a little breathlessly as she tried not to stare at the volume in his hands.

"Oh, you must be Lorelai Gilmore!" the boy exclaimed as he read her name from a slip of paper he had pulled from between the pages of the book.

"Yeah, that's me." She replied. "But you can call me Rory. Do you read a lot?"

"Caleb Danvers." He said standing up and shaking her hand. "I was assigned to be your guide for your first week here. And no, not really. This," he said, while holding up the book in his hands, "is my mother's favorite book and I was planning to surprise her with it on her birthday."

A few minutes of silence passed before she shot him a nervous smile.

"It's a first edition." he supplied, helpfully.

Rory shot him a grin and nodded towards their hands, "You've been holding my hand for the past two minutes. Now, call me old-fashioned, but I usually don't hold hands before the first date."

"Oh, sorry." He said letting go of her hand.

"It's okay." She replied. "So, shall we?"

"Yeah, let's go." He said as he flashed another smile.

He started to walk and she quickly followed, trying to match his long strides. He took her through a stone archway and down a long corridor. It would have been creepy had tall picture windows not lined one side, illuminating the forbidding path.

"This is the Provost's office." He said stopping in front of a rather large wooden doorway. "We'll get your dorm assignment and class schedule here before moving your things to your new room."

She nodded and followed him inside the office, mentally filing away the route they took to get there. She was definitely not in Chilton anymore. An elderly woman sat behind an imposing walnut desk placed to the right of another doorway marked 'Provost Hagen'.

"Ah, Mr. Danvers, I was starting to think you had abducted our transfer." Quipped the old lady manning the secretary's desk.

"You know that's more of Reid's style don't you Mrs. Schmitze?" he said, flashing her a charming smile. She smirked and handed him a brown envelope.

"I wouldn't put it past you to take one look at a pretty girl and dash of with her to who-knows-where!" she said, shaking her head. "You keep your eyes open, Ms. Gilmore, with Mr. Danvers and his hooligan friends around you aren't going to have a moment of peace your entire stay here!"

"I will. Thanks for the warning!" Rory said as Caleb ushered her out of the office.

"She seems nice. So you're in there a lot huh?" Rory said as soon as they were out of the office.

"Yeah, she always gives us the easier jobs when we get into trouble." Caleb said, handing her the brown envelope.

"We?"

"Me and the three 'hooligans', you'll meet them later when we go to Nicky's." he said stopping in his tracks and shooting her a smirk.

"Nicky's?" she asked.

"It's a local hang-out, you'll like it."

"That's presumptuous, don't you think? Who says I even plan to go to said hang-out with you?" she said arching her brow.

"I do. Are you going to open that?" he said gesturing to the brown envelope.

"Oh, right." She sat down on a bench and started to remove the contents of the envelope.

"What's your dorm number?" he said sitting beside her.

"Why would I tell you my dorm number? You're awfully forward for a teacher's pet." she said smirking at him and raising her brows at him again.

"I am not. It's just easier so I can pick you up to go to Nicky's later." he replied, not missing a beat.

She laughed. "That's assuming I actually agree to go."

He just flashed another smile as a reply. Shaking her head, she perused her schedule and bit her lip. "You guys have a more advanced curriculum. I did some research before transferring, but I didn't know it would be this intense. It'll take all year to catch up!"

"Not if you have the right tutor. Here, let me see your schedule." She handed him the white card and continued her perusal of the envelope contents.

"We're in the same classes," He said looking down at it, "except for Fridays."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" She asked as she paused in her perusal.

"That would be entirely up to you." He replied, helping her fix up all the papers. A clink sounded through the hallway as her dorm key slipped from Rory's skirt. He bent to pick it up.

"Caleb!"

The both of them turned their heads and saw two boys walking towards them.

"Hey guys." Caleb said as he straightened up and handed Rory her key.

"Are you done yet? " The tall one with long blonde hair asked as he gave Rory an appreciative once-over.

"Does it look like I am?" he replied, bumping fists with the two new arrivals. "Guys, this is Rory Gilmore. Rory this is Pogue Parry and Reid Garwin."

"Hi." She said.

"Where's Tyler?" Caleb asked suddenly.

"Now, Caleb, don't get mad. We were just kidding around and…"

"What did you do?!" he said standing up and grabbing Reid by the front of his shirt.

"Geez, I was just kidding! He's at the office signing out." Reid said taking two steps back when Caleb released him. "Take it easy, man!"

"Not funny, Reid. You guys get into any more trouble, I'll have to start taking prescription pills to numb the headaches. We'll meet you guys later at Nicky's okay? Stay out of trouble." Caleb shook his head in annoyance at his two friends.

Rory waved to them and started to walk beside Caleb again.

"Sorry about that." Caleb said after a minute of silence.

"It's okay." Rory said smiling up at him. "You guys seem close."

"Yeah, we kind of grew up together. Our families are pretty close, you know?" he said returning her smile.

Rory nodded her head in understanding.

"So, where's your library ----"

"Do you mind going to the library---"

They both exchanged smiles and Caleb led her to the library.

"Damn, it's closed." He said as they approached frosted glass doors.

"It's okay, maybe next time." She said in reply to his apologetic glance.

They continued walking for some time and then Rory broke the silence once more.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To the dorms." He replied.

"But my stuff is in the car."

"Right, your stuff." He shot her another apologetic glance.

They walked to her car and she let Caleb drive them over to the dormitory, desperately trying to memorize all the places he pointed out to her.

Once they got to the dormitory, he helped her unload all of her things.

"Well, looks like you have a little problem, Ms. Gilmore." Caleb said coyly.

"What's that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Well, either you tell me what room you're in or you carry all your stuff up on your own." He said pointing towards the large pile of boxes at her feet.

She eyed the boxes warily for a minute before finally throwing her hands up in defeat.

"Fine, I'm in room 246."

Caleb flashed a quick smirk before picking up three boxes all at once, leaving only two small ones for her to carry. She locked her car and followed him up the stairs.

"Jesus, what did you put in these boxes?!" He asked as he finally set them down in her dorm room.

"Just a couple of books." She replied innocently.

He opened one of them curiously and once he tore apart the packaging tape, the box practically opened itself. The other boxes followed suit.

"A few?" he said cocking his brow at her.

"So I like to read." She said in a huff.

He smiled and asked for her keys. "Let me go and get your bags while you set-up your mini-library." He said laughing at the look she gave him before throwing him her car keys.

Caleb returned with her bags twenty minutes later, breathing a little heavily as he dropped her three bags onto the floor and launched himself on the nearest surface he could see, the floor.

"Did you stuff a bookstore in there, too?" he asked eyeing the bags suspiciously.

"I might have." Was the only reply he got from the girl now surrounded by at least ten stacks of books.

Caleb checked his watch before getting off the floor.

"I'd better go; my mom is probably waiting for me." He said drawing closer, nearly knocking down one of her towers, erm, books.

"Okay. Thanks for everything, Caleb." She said shooting him a smile.

"You're welcome, my number's on the pad paper, in case you need any thing." he said walking out the door. "And I'll see you again tonight around eight."

"Okay, than--- what?! Wait, I thought you were kidding!" she exclaimed.

"I don't kid." he said smiling at her and closing the door before she could reply.

Rory finally got her stuff organized. After about an hour of trying to assemble the mini-bookshelf her grandparents had given her, she finally decided to suck it up and call Caleb for help. He arrived half an hour later to find her whacking a nail into a wooden plank with one of her beloved books.

He almost gave her a heart-attack when he started speaking, "That's an interesting new development. I never thought of books as a substitute for power tools." He said, grinning.

"Jesus, knock much?!" she said her blue eyes flashing and placing her hand on her chest. Caleb merely smiled and proceeded to assemble the bookcase as if it consisted of a few Lego blocks.

"How did you do that?" she said when she looked up from the books she was arranging to see him wiping down the newly assembled bookcase.

"Well, first you look at the guide that you were using as doodling paper to figure out which pieces go together..." he said smirking.

Her eyes widened as she saw that the piece of paper she had used to doodle his name on earlier had instructions printed on the other side.

"I was about to praise your manly intuition." She said, not allowing him a second to enjoy his little victory, trying to hide her embarassment at being caught.

"I was about to praise your dress sense." He said as he looked at her dressed in old jeans and an over-sized t-shirt.

"Hey, no fair! I can't assemble a bookcase dressed my best now can I?" she said slapping his arm playfully.

"Don't you mean attempt to assemble a bookcase?" he quipped.

She narrowed her eyes and said, "I have half a mind not to go with you to Nicky's."

"So you were planning to go, huh?" he said, his smile growing wider by the second. She threw her arms up in defeat and proceeded to grab clothes she could change into.

"Give me ten minutes to get dressed." She said while marching into the bathroom.

Caleb sat down on her bed and waited for her to finish up. He saw three pictures on her nightstand and picked them up for closer inspection.

The first was her and a pretty slightly older woman, probably her older sister. The second was her and a good-looking guy by a motorcycle. And the third was of her and a Chinese girl making silly faces.

"I'm ready." She announced as she walked out of the bathroom half an hour later.

"Ten minutes huh?" he said with a smirk.

"Hey, natural beauty takes two hours in front of the mirror, you're lucky I only took a fourth of that time." She replied grabbing a coat from her closet.

He shook her head as he led her to his car.

His smile was still there after he closed her door and walked over to the driver's seat. Third year was going to be an adventure with this new girl around. He could feel it.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN** My sister is a strange, strange person. (S-footbela-S)

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

They sped down the highway as the sun slowly set to their left... gold and orange tones lazily mixing with the indigo that heralded the onset of night. Caleb sneaked a glance at the girl sitting next to him as she gazed thoughtfully at the quickly passing scenery and noticed the way she bit her lip in consternation. "I can slow down, if you want." Caleb said, breaking into Rory's train of thought.

"Huh? No. It's okay… it's just…" her voice trailed off and she bit her lip, thinking carefully about her next words...

"What is it, Rory?" he asked gently as he shifted in his seat. Was she regretting coming along tonight?

"I just… I'm a long way from home, that's all." She replied quietly as she gave him and the car she was in a brief once-over. "Yes… A very long way from home…" They sat in silence, letting her words wash over them.

"So," He said while trying to get his eyes back on the road instead of keeping them trained on the stunning girl beside him, "This is your first time away from home, I gather? Where are you from?"

"Stars Hollow when I was a girl… and then I moved to New Haven when… when my mother died." Caleb swallowed uncomfortably as she looked near tears when she mentioned her mom.

"So the two of you were close?"

"As bubblegum and the bottom of a desk." She replied wryly, breaking the somber mood inside the vehicle. Despite her near flippant response, her tone suggested that the topic wasn't open for discussion and Caleb was more than happy to oblige.

* * *

"So, are you sure it's okay with your friends if I horn in on your boy's night?" she asked as knots started to form in her stomach, she had never been good with those kinds of places or the people who usually went there.

"Of course… but what makes you think we're all guys?" He said, sensing her discomfort.

Rory rolled her eyes in response, "Oh I don't know. It's just a feeling I guess."

He turned his gaze from the road to gaze at her expression as she spoke and sent a lazy smile back at her. "You guess?"

She opened her mouth to release a retort but her reply was drowned out by the deafening roar of a massive ten-wheeler's horn coupled with the screech of tires on the slippery asphalt road.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

"Geez, what's taking Caleb so long?" Reid complained leaning lazily upon the pool table.

Pogue rolled his eyes at his friend's obvious annoyance, but had to concede, "It's not like him to be late for anything."

Tyler, the youngest of their group, said nothing as he quickly sunk two more balls. He was immersed in his own problems at the moment and didn't know whether Caleb being late was a reprieve or not. He knew he was going to have to relate his latest dreams again… but he had had the most disturbing one yet the night before and didn't really feel up to talking about it.

"What's on your mind Ty?" Reid asked his partner-in-crime, noting his obvious discomfort and the dark half-circles that had formed under his eyes.

"Nothing…" Tyler replied automatically, his voice coming out mechanical and raspy. "I'm gonna go get a drink. Do you guys want anything?"

* * *

Both older boys shook their heads and continued their game of pool. Tyler quickly made his way over to the bar and ordered a drink from Nicky. He downed it in one gulp before ordering another to give himself time to calm down. Reid knew him too well and this was one time it wasn't a good thing.

"Hey, what's up with Tyler?" Pogue asked Reid after making sure the boy in question was out of earshot.

"I dunno man… he's been acting weird lately." Reid said shooting his friend a concerned glance.

"Kate overheard him and Caleb talking and she said it sounded like Tyler was really worried about something. According to her they stopped talking once they spotted her." Pogue supplied, hoping they could piece together Tyler's problem.

Reid stood in silence for a while before whispering: "Maybe it's his dad."

"What? No way in hell Reid… Ty's dad is too much of a straight arrow to get mixed up in any kind of mess." Pogue said lowering his voice.

Reid just shrugged his shoulders and was about to say something but shut his mouth when he spotted Tyler making his way to them, phone clutched to his ear. "Caleb got into an accident on the way." Tyler told them. "He needs us to pick him up."

"What? Why can't he just Use?" Reid asked frustrated, he was winning the pool game after all.

"He's with some girl. She was knocked up pretty bad and he had to heal some of her wounds. He doesn't have enough strength to Use again tonight." Tyler replied while dragging Reid out of Nicky's.

"Ooh, interesting…" Reid said his interest piqued. Pogue blew a kiss at Kate who was with a couple of her friends before exiting the bar right behind his friends.

"Caleb said he needs to have the car taken to the shop." Tyler replied getting into his hummer.

"Ah, trust Caleb to be anal about something like this." Reid said getting into the passenger seat.

* * *

Tyler just shook his head at Reid's dramatics and started the car. After about ten minutes, they spotted Caleb and a brunette girl leaning against a sleek silver sports car that looked like it had been an extra in Tokyo Drift.

Tyler and Reid got out of the Hummer just as Pogue arrived on his bright yellow Ducati. "Took you long enough." Reid said tauntingly to Pogue.

"Thanks for coming." Caleb said as they checked out the damage on his car. "Ouch." The three said after seeing how messed up the passenger side was.

"Guys, this is Rory Gilmore." Caleb said, "She's a transfer from Chilton Academy. Rory, you remember Pogue and Reid?"

Rory nodded to the two of them obviously still shaken up by the accident. "And this is Tyler Simms." Tyler smiled at her and she returned the smile with an added polite nod.

"C'mon let's go. I already called the guys at the shop to pick your car up." Pogue said, hanging up his phone.

"Are you sure we should leave it here?" Rory said, speaking for the first time. "I mean, shouldn't we wait for them to get it?"

"Nah, Ipswich is a pretty small town. I doubt anyone would try to steal Caleb's car. It's too attention grabbing." Tyler said opening the back door for Caleb and Rory before hopping into the driver's seat.

"Okay." Rory replied but, before getting into the enormous black hummer, she turned to look at Caleb with a little tinge of uncertainty and fear in her gaze.

His eyes gave nothing away… but she could still remember just a few moments before when they had been as black as night.

* * *

**AN **Sorry for the long wait. Next chapter will be at Nicky's. It will also explain what happened to Rory and Caleb during the accident. Till then : ) –iamextraordinary-

**S-footbela-S**-the delay is all iamextraordinary's fault

**iamextraordinary**-is not. you had me editing and editing and editing!

**S-footbela-S-**not my fault you're OCD.

**iamextraordinary**-whatever.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN **Sorry it took so long to get this posted. We HAVE NOT given up on this story… life has simply been hectic as heck seeing as _**iamextraordinary**_ started a new job while _**someonestolemycookies**_ (formerly _**SfootbellaS**_) has started University.

So… a lot of you have expressed your hope that this will be a CalebXRory… all I can say is, we'll see : )

* * *

_So she took her love for to gaze awhile on the fields of barley…_

"Caleb…" Rory couldn't help but ask him, "Do they know?" His friends had kept glancing at her as if they expected her to start crying 'Witch' any moment. It was freaking her out more than the display of power she had seen earlier.

"Uhmm… Yeah. Look, maybe we should just forget Nicky's tonight." Caleb replied, uneasily. He had some 'splainin to do, and he wasn't sure where to start. Sure, she hadn't freaked out as much as he expected her to… but it could also be an after-effect of almost dying. She could be in shock… a proverbial time bomb waiting to explode in his and his friends' faces.

"Danvers, you promised me a night at Nicky's. I feel like shit right now so you better deliver. Make sure there'll be lots of booze... preferably Irish coffee. We can talk over that." She said while smirking a little at his incredulous expression. Sure, she wanted answers… but as long as she was safe in their company--- which she instinctively felt she was--- then nothing could keep her from ferreting out the truth. It was the journalist in her. That and she did need a drink. A stiff one, preferably.

Tyler leaned his head against the window and sighed. It looked like Caleb was going to be tied up tonight. Not that he really minded the fact that it was the elder boy and not him that was going to spill his guts. It was tiring to always be the one having to unload. It made him feel like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was definitely not a good feeling. As he closed his eyes, the visions of that girl from his dreams began to flood his mind: images of chocolate brown curls and deep mahogany eyes… a beautiful image… but they were followed by her screams of pain. Tyler tried hard to force his eyes open but it seemed as if they had been glued shut.

Reid looked away from the stunning girl beside Caleb and turned his gaze to his best friend.

"Yo, baby boy! Wake up!" he said in an undertone, playfully shoving Tyler. "This isn't the time to catch up on your beauty sleep."

He frowned as Tyler's eyes remained shut. "Ty!"

Tyler heard Reid's voice somewhere amidst the girl's screams, he tried desperately to follow it so he could get away from the visions but it seemed his voice was coming from every direction. He felt someone push him but it wasn't like a normal feeling, more of an impression of someone's hand on his arm. He tried frantically to shake himself back to consciousness but it was like he was having an out-of-body experience; he just couldn't get his arms to move. His limbs felt like deadweight.

"Pogue, Caleb I need help here!"

Caleb looked up to see Reid Using on Tyler. It looked like he was trying to attempt that Legilimens bullshit from the Harry Potter books… except Tyler's eyes were closed. Caleb shook his head to clear it and frowned at his friend.

"What the hell are you doing Reid?" Caleb growled.

"He's not waking up!" Reid replied trying hard to get into Tyler's subconscious so as to wake him.

"Stop joking around man, and will you stop Using? He's probably just tired." Pogue said trying to calm the blonde boy down.

"What's happening to your friend?" Rory asked, she had nearly died and was saved by some supernatural powers and now this? What other surprises did Caleb and his friends have for her tonight?

"What's going on?" she said as Caleb, Pogue and Reid tried to revive the one called Tyler.

"He's not waking up. Oh man, what the hell is happening to him?" Reid said. He was starting to panic.

"Let's bring him over to my place." Caleb said helping the two boys carry Tyler back into the Hummer.

"I'm sorry, but either you come with us or we drop you off in the dorm and I'll explain some other time." Caleb said, helping Rory into the car.

"I'm going with you. I need to know what the hell is going on, Caleb, and I need to know tonight." She said looking him straight in the eye.

"All right." He said closing the door and climbing into the passenger seat.

"Buckle up." Reid said and with one last glance at Tyler's unconscious form, he started the car and drove as if the devil was after them.

Rory barely had time to marvel at the magnificence of Caleb's palatial home as he was giving directions all around.

"Pogue, I need you to go to the kitchens and heat some water. Bring some ice too. We need to see how he'll react to external stimulants. Reid, you watch over him while I go talk to my mother and grab some books that may help us."

"What can I do?" Rory said, wanting to help.

"Go with Pogue to the kitchen and grab any strong smelling food or spice. We need to wake him up." Caleb said after a short pause, as if he was hesitant to include her.

She nodded and quickly followed in the direction where Pogue had exited. She could see Pogue's retreating back and she hurried to catch up to him, it was a dark corridor and no way was she going to be left alone in it; not after what she had witnessed in Caleb's car anyway.

As she passed a large door, she saw a faint outline of a woman smoking and looking out a large bay window. She shivered slightly before hurrying after Pogue. The woman had looked ethereal and eerily so. When she joined Pogue in the kitchen, he answered the unspoken question in her eyes.

"That was Caleb's mom. He lives here instead of at the dorms so he can take care of her."

"What's wrong with her?" she asked as she searched the shelves for spices.

"She's got an alcohol problem." He replied shortly.

"Oh." Rory let out a deep breath and continued her search.

After the water got heated, Pogue collected ice from the large freezer and he and Rory made their way back to the room where they had left Tyler and Reid.

As they walked past the room where Caleb's mother had been they couldn't help but stop and listen in on the conversation.

"…she saw me Using."

"How could she have seen you?"

"We were in an accident, I had to save her."

"You Used in front of some girl you just met?!"

"Mother…"

"The fact that you Used at all, Caleb! My God! If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times! It's addictive Caleb! You're about to Ascend… there's no telling what it'll be like for you then."

"That's not til another year, mother. Please, I have to go to Tyler."

"At least call his father and get some help…"

"We'd better go." Pogue whispered as he guided her away from the dark corridor.

Rory followed Pogue away from Caleb's and his mother's voices. As they walked in silence she pondered over the conversation she had just overheard. _Ascend? Addictive? His mother made it sound like some sort of drug! Had Rory just gotten herself involved with some kind of cult?"_

"What took you so long?" Reid said grumpily as he stood and helped Rory out with the spices.

"A simple 'thank you' would be nice," she replied icily. He had some nerve. She was only trying to help out in a situation where most girls would have run screaming to the hills. Or to the insane asylum.

Reid bit back a retort as Caleb walked into the room. He contented himself with shoving spices on a heated spoon under Tyler's nose.

"We've tried everything!" Reid said starting to panic again, "Why isn't he waking up?!"

Caleb swallowed uncomfortably, he was torn between wanting to help Tyler and keeping Tyler's secret. "I—we haven't exactly tried _everything_ Reid." He replied.

"_I _have; it didn't help Caleb, all I could see was darkness." Reid said, lowering his voice.

"Let's try doing it together then." Pogue replied, too worried about their youngest friend to think of the consequences.

As the three boys continued discussing Tyler's condition in hushed voices, Rory took the time to walk around the room and observe her surroundings.

The room was luxuriously furnished; the velvet-covered sofas, the heavy curtains, and the marble mantle and fireplace screamed old money. She lifted her hand and drew it across the cool surface, looking at the photographs littering the room.

She was definitely not in Hartford… but the understated elegance of the place somehow made her feel right at home.

"You're not from around here, are you?" a dignified voice asked from behind Rory and she spun around to face the source. It was Caleb's mother.

_You can tell the sun in his jealous sky… that we walked in fields of gold._


End file.
